Sixty years after the Ford Mustang’s first win in the legendary Tour de France, the Mustang GT3 delivered an impressive third-place result and saw all three cars finish the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. In one of the toughest endurance races on the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar, the Mustang GT3 showcased resilience and performance at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe.
All three Mustang GT3s completed the grueling race, with the No. 88 car, driven by Dennis Olsen, Giorgio Roda, and Mikkel O. Pedersen, finishing third in the LMGT3 category. The No. 44 car, piloted by Christopher Mies, John Hartshorne, and Ben Tuck, closely followed in fourth place.
“Today’s podium performance shows that Mustang can come and compete on the global stage against the best sports cars in the world,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “It is such a fantastic feeling to be able to do it in the first outing for Mustang at Le Mans. It’s a great testament to our company, our employees, and all our fans who are celebrating Mustang’s 60th anniversary this year and all the great partners we have with Proton Competition, M-Sport, and Multimatic Motorsports. We’re racing and winning all around the world, but to have a podium here at Le Mans is such a special moment.”
Christian Ried, Proton Competition Team Principal, echoed this sentiment, stating, “It’s always great to be on the podium and especially at Le Mans. But also, in the first year of a new car, and in the 60th Anniversary of Mustang, there are just so many things that came together to make today possible. It’s unbelievable. We saw that this was a good car at its debut in Daytona, and we’ve since taken all the steps to make this work in its first season. From Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach, to Qatar, Imola, and Spa, we felt like we could bring a car here after those six months that could fight for the win. To finish on the podium in third is amazing. I’m proud of everyone.”
The No. 88 Mustang GT3 faced early challenges but demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout the race. Dennis Olsen climbed 13 places in the first hour to secure fourth place, showcasing impressive speed and racecraft. The team maintained a steady presence in the top ten, utilizing a strategic pit stop plan that propelled them into the top five throughout the race. A consistent pace around Circuit de la Sarthe’s 13.626 km (8.467 mi) circuit ultimately secured their podium finish.
“I’m over the moon with this result,” said Larry Holt, Executive Vice President of Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations Group. “Le Mans is the biggest sportscar racing challenge in the world. I’ve had some great results here and I’ve also had some bad years here and I have to say that this is right up there with the greats. It wasn’t a win but a third-place podium, followed by a fourth place and total reliability gives us a lot to be happy about. We’ve engineered this car over the past 18 months and run it since Daytona. We’ve had ups and downs but when we ran at Le Mans last Sunday, I knew that it was going to be good.”
The No. 77 car, driven by Ryan Hardwick, Ben Barker, and Zacharie Robichon, also contributed to the team’s overall success despite facing early challenges on the track. Ben Barker recorded the fastest qualifying lap on Thursday, advancing to the Hyperpole, marking the first Hyperpole by a Mustang GT3 after four rounds of WEC racing in 2024.
The Mustang GT3’s performance at Le Mans underscores its ability to compete on a global stage and highlights Ford’s commitment to excellence in motorsport
